§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been spent of preparatory costs for GP fundholders for each health board area in Scotland for each year since the introduction of GP fundholding. [14496]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 20 March 1995]: The information requested is not available centrally. Health board returns on the money disbursed to support the operational costs of GP fundholders in their area do not differentiate between GP practices who are operational fundholders and those in their preparatory period.
A preparatory fundholding practice is entitled to claim an allowance up to a maximum level—£17,500 in 1994–95. A practice may also claim reimbursement for the installation and other associated costs of computer equipment, which is agreed by the health board as being essential to their participation in fundholding. Finance for this reimbursement expenditure comes from the health boards cash-limited GMS allocation for computer expenditure. It is the responsibility of health boards to monitor the cost-effectiveness of each preparatory fundholding practices use of such preparatory costs, as 275W part of the health boards statutory role in monitoring the overall performance of GP fundholders.